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Syracuse's C.J. Fair will return for his senior season

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Syracuse's C.J.Fair ties to fight his way out of Pitt trap by players Steve Adams and Lamar Patterson in first half action against Pittsburgh in the Big East basketball quarterfinals at Madison Square Garden.
(Dennis Nett | dnett@syracuse.com )

Fair announced his decision in a statement released by the university on Wednesday.

"After talking it over with my family and my coaches, I decided another year at Syracuse was best for me," said Fair. "I'm excited about working hard with my teammates to put together another great season and graduating has also been a goal of mine."

Fair had considered entering this year’s NBA draft. However, after gathering information from the NBA’s Undergraduate Advisory Committee that indicated he was not guaranteed to be a first round pick, Fair elected to return to Syracuse University.

Fair’s decision is a boost to Syracuse as it heads into the Atlantic Coast Conference next season.

The Orange had already lost three starters off last year’s Final Four team – seniors Brandon Triche and James Southerland along with sophomore point guard Michael Carter-Williams, who previously announced that he would enter the NBA draft. Had Fair departed for the NBA, Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim would have faced almost a complete rebuilding task.

Instead, Fair’s return means Syracuse should enter next season as a Top 10 team. The last player to lead Syracuse in both scoring and rebounding in one season and then return for the next season was Hakim Warrick. Warrick also considered turning pro after his junior year, but returned for a senior season that saw him win the Big East’s Player of the Year award and earn All-America honors.

Fair, who averaged 14.5 points and 6.9 rebounds last season, will be a strong candidate for ACC Player of the Year.

"This is great news for our basketball program and for C.J.," said Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim. "I believe he's just going to keep getting better and better as a basketball player and earning his degree is important."

Fair started just nine games in his first two years, but he came Syracuse’s most consistent player as a junior. He scored in double-figures 33 times. He averaged 15.4 points in SU’s five NCAA Tournament games, including a 22-point performance in the Final Four loss to Michigan.

Fair made a significant improvement in his offensive game, adding the 3-point shot to his arsenal of mid-range jumpers and slithering moves to the basket. After attempting just 27 shots from 3-point range in his first two years, Fair went 30-for-64 (46.8 percent) from outside the arc this past year.

But NBA executives surveyed last week indicated that they would like to see Fair become less dependent on his left hand when driving to the basket and increase the speed of the release on his jump shot.